Kai's Awakening
by Bandersnatch202
Summary: Summary Inside


Authors Note: Well this is something new for me, this is my first venture into Beyblade Fanfiction. I got the idea for this story when I saw the episode "Losing Kai". Basically, this is what I think might have happened if this show had a higher rating, like maybe PG, or PG-13. Also, I know that Kai currently has Dranzer, and at the end of "Losing Kai" gives it to Tyson, but for the sake of my story lets say that that already happened. This picks up at the point where Kai has already defeated two of the White Tiger's team-members.

Enjoy ^_^

****

Kai's Awakening

Lee stepped forward, determination etched onto his face as Mariah stumbled back to the bench where the rest of the White Tigers Team waited, clutching the ruins of her Beyblade, it's Bit Beast gone, drained into the all powerful Beyblade that Kai now possessed. Lee's eyes narrowed.

"You've destroyed my teammates Blades and stolen their Bit Beasts. For that I will make you pay." Lee vowed as he stepped forward and marched across the arena to the dish situated between him and Kai. His eyes focused, his body tense.

"Lee steps up to the- NO! Lee is skirting around the Dish and heading for Kai! What could possibly be going through his head?!" The announcer said in his abnormally loud voice. Kai watched in curiosity as the leader of the White Tigers Team made his way around the dish they were supposed to be blading in and marched up to him. Lee's piercing blue eyes cold as steel as he stared intently at Kai, all his rage and anger focused into one moment, one single second where he was in control.

Kai never saw it coming, Lee's fist shot out in a devastating right hook that caught him by surprise, unable to react to the follow-up left-handed blow to his gut. He was sent reeling with a powerful uppercut that knocked his head back and split his lip. Kai staggered as Lee took on the offensive again and charged him, tackling him to the ground and slamming him down with enough force to make his vision go black. His sight was jarred once again as another strong right hook clipped his jaw and brought him back to his senses.

As Lee pulled back his left fist for a direct face-shot, Kai's right arm shot out and deflected it with ease, as his left swung in a sweeping manner, throwing Lee off of him and to the ground. Kai used the momentary respite to sit up and wipe the blood from his lip, staining his gloves with the bright crimson. He stood up completely at the same moment as Lee struggled to his feet, both of them slightly winded, Lee more so for his repeated attacks. Glaring at him, Lee still held the look of anger and defiance Kai had recognized before.

"What happened to you Kai, you're not the same as the Kai I knew and respected. You've changed, for the worse." Lee spat out in disgust as he continued to glare at the imposing figure that stood before him, Kai's head held high in a haughty manner.

"I have power." Kai said simply. "And that is all I need. Friends and emotions are for the weak, and I am most definitely not weak. With Black Dranzer I have all I will ever need, so take your talk of justice and honor somewhere else, frankly I'm not interested. If your not going to Blade then get out of my site, you bore me." Kai said with narrowed eyes as he turned to walk away from the frustrated leader of the White Tigers. Growling to himself, Lee jumped to his feet and ran at Kai.

"We're not through yet!" He shouted as he punched forward to hit Kai in the back, but Kai turned and deflected his blow, adding an open-palmed punch to Lee's chest to send the smaller boy flying back again. Lee hit the ground hard, and came up clutching his chest, Kai rolled his eyes at the weakness of fools and turned to leave. But then, he heard a small laugh coming from behind him. Wondering what Lee could possibly find funny about the situation, Kai turned and saw Lee standing beside the dish, confidence written in his features, and clutched in his hands was Kai's Black Dranzer. His eyes widened as he realized that the punch directed at his back had been a distraction so Lee could reach into his pocket and steal the Black Dranzer. He stepped forward, his eyes narrowing as he contemplated what he would do to the idiotic boy who had dared to even _touch_ Black Dranzer, let alone steal it.

"Hold it right there Kai," Lee shouted as he held out Black Dranzer, clenched in his right fist. "You take one more step, and I swear I'll crush Black Dranzer, and you know I can." He threatened, his eyes nothing but slits as he glared at the enraged boy he once knew, who was now being torn apart by inner demons warring within him. One saying not to risk Black Dranzer's safety, the other insisting that Lee's threat was an empty one, the boy would never destroy Black Dranzer, at least not with all his teammates Bit Beasts still locked inside. Kai smirked and relaxed slightly.

"You would never destroy Black Dranzer, you wouldn't dare do it for risk of destroying your teammates Bit Beasts." Kai said confidently.

"Wanna bet?" Lee countered, his fist tightening its grip on the plastic and metal Beyblade grasped within his hand. "I'd rather destroy this _thing_ now then let you go on taking other people's Bit Beasts with it, that's just wrong, and I'm sure the others would all agree with me. They would rather that their Bit Beast be killed then to let a monster like you continue to ravage the dish, I know I would." Lee's grip tightened, and Kai couldn't tell if it was his own active imagination, or if he really heard the plastic and metal of Black Dranzer cracking.

Kai's mind was racing, he had to get Black Dranzer away from that no-good cheater, but if he tried to take it back Lee would simply crush it. Kai didn't know what to do, his mind was going in circles, for once he could think of no way out, there was nothing he could do. A crack sounded out, echoing across the silent arena, as along Black Dranzer's outer edge a hairline crack appeared, glaring out at Kai from the Beyblades otherwise flawless surface.

"Nooooo!" Kai cried as he dropped to his knees, his eyes wide with fright. "Please!" He begged. "Please no! Don't destroy Black Dranzer, I beg of you!" Tears were beginning to make their way down Kai's face and they shocked him almost as much as the crack. Never before had he cried, never before had he known true fear. He felt as if it was his heart gripped in Lee's hand, not Black Dranzer, his cold grip slowly killing him, crushing the very life out of him.

Kai's reaction to the crack startled Lee, he had no idea that the hold Black Dranzer had on him was so strong. It seemed as if Lee was crushing Kai's very heart, and his grip loosened. His eyes took on a kinder look to them as he gazed softly at the poor distraught boy before him.

"Look at yourself Kai," Lee said, his voice strong but caring. "Look at what you've become, what Black Dranzer has turned you into. You are it's servant, no, worse you are it's _slave_. You're willing to do anything, to risk everything just to see that it is safe. The Kai I knew would never have himself be bent to any_one_ or any_thing_, especially not some toy used in a sport we play for fun." His last statement seemed to penetrate through Kai's swirling thoughts as the poor boy's eyes glared at Lee from around their tears.

"It may be a toy to you, but to me it is _life_! Ever since I could walk I could Blade, all that I am is Blading. Without Black Dranzer I am nothing, I _have_ nothing! If you destroy Black Dranzer you might as well kill me too, because if you don't I will surely die soon after." He pleaded, his voice wavering as his anguish made it's way into his throat, blocking it with a lump that Kai could not swallow no matter how hard he tried.

"Your wrong Kai," A voice called out from the crowd. Lee and Kai both turned their heads to see who had spoken, and both meet with the even gaze of Rei, his face set in a look of grim determination. "If Lee destroys Black Dranzer now, he will not kill you, he will free you." Rei continued as he made his way across the arena towards the wreck of a boy that had once been the mightiest of Bladers.

"But I-" Kai began, only to be interrupted by a soft shake of Rei's head.

"No Kai, and if Lee destroys Black Dranzer you will not have nothing. You will still have us, your friends, who will stick by you, no matter what. And you'll still have this." Rei took Kai's hand in his, reached into his pocket and pulled out a Beyblade, pressing it into Kai's open hand, and closing Kai's fist around it. Rei withdrew his hands and watched as Kai slowly opened his fist and revealed Dranzer, Kai's original Beyblade, the one he had forsaken to accept the more powerful Black Dranzer.

"You may have given up Dranzer, but he has not given up you. He has hoped that you would want him back someday, and that he would be worthy of your pride again. He looks up to you Kai, you are like his master, his sensei, his beloved teacher, you helped to give him the confidence to win the matches he thought were lost. You gave him the strength to carry on when he was about to quit. He wants you back Kai, and he's willing to fight whatever stands between you and him. He has not given up on you Kai, don't you give up on him." Rei stood and stepped back a pace, as Lee walked forward and bent down beside Kai, pressing Black Dranzer into his other hand before stepping back to stand beside Rei. They looked down at Kai, his shoulders shaking as he clutched the two blades in his open hands, hands that were trembling as tears still flowed down his face.

"It's time to choose Kai," Lee began, "what do you want more, power and perfection, or the honor and respect of you Bit Beast and friends. What is more important to you Kai, what is more important to the _real_ you, not the fake tough guy facade you put on. Choose Kai, choose which path you will take. Right or Wrong. Good or Evil. Light or Dark. It is time for you to make your decision Kai, which will it be."

Kai stared down at the two blades clutched in his hands. He glanced to his left, in which he gripped the mighty Black Dranzer, its surface cracked, but still pulsing with the power and perfection that it promised. It's essence glowing dully, but strongly, slowly dragging Kai in to its gapping mouth, adding him to its collection that fed its never ending hunger. It was about to drag him in, it had almost succeeded, and if it had there would have been no hope for him, he would have been lost to the all-consuming power of Black Dranzer.

Then he looked to his right hand, which held Dranzer, his first Blade, his friend. The Bit Beast with which he had helped through the tough times, and had raised and strengthened through his _own_ force and will. It's essence shone brightly, like a beacon of hope that pierced through the shrouds of congealing mists that had surrounded Kai's heart from the moment he had first laid eyes on Black Dranzer. He had put his heart and soul into making this the greatest Beyblade in the world, and no amount of power could ever rival it. He had poured everything he had into it and it had given him back just as much as he put in, fighting for him, believing in him, trusting in him to always make the right decision. And even when he made the wrong ones, Dranzer was still there, ever by his side. Even if he spurned and shunned Dranzer, he still believed in him, and would fight with all his might to help Kai realize his mistakes and correct them.

__

'That's it' Kai's eyes flashed open, he was unaware he had even closed them. Glaring down at his left hand and the Black Dranzer, Kai's grip tightened, the blade began to crack and fracture. Within the sound of each break Kai could hear Black Dranzer screaming in agony, it's shell crumpled and broken. It tried to latch out and catch onto Kai's dark thought's once again, but there were none left for it to grasp, Dranzer had cleared Kai's mind and brought him to his senses. Now there was absolutely nothing for Black Dranzer to feed off of, all of Kai's dark thoughts of power and perfection were overwhelmed by his eagerness to belong and to be loved.

"You have no power over me Black Dranzer, I have been awakened! Now relinquish the Bit Beasts you have absorbed, free them to go back to their Blades!" Kai commanded, his grip tightening, and with a scream of defeat Black Dranzer expelled all the Bit Beasts he had stolen, each running eagerly back to their Blades and their true owners. Many more flew out of Black Dranzer than Kai had absorbed, those were the Bit Beasts of other Bladers who's Beasts had been drained of their energy to power the Black Dranzer.

Only when all the Bit Beasts were gone, and Black Dranzer was completely alone did Kai see him for what he truly was. A mere shell of a Beyblade, with no true power of his own, all of the strength he had had been drained from other Bit Beasts to give him exalted power. Now that they were all gone, Black Dranzer was nothing. And Kai couldn't understand why he had not seen through such and obvious ploy in the first place. It angered him that he had been so easily tricked, so easily swayed by the promise of power.

So with one last snarl of contempt, Kai raised hid left hand and smashed Black Dranzer into the ground, shattering it into thousands of tiny shards. As it broke, it gave out one last cry of defeat, it's now non-existent might forever extinguished.

Kai stood slowly and shakily, clutching Dranzer to his chest, tears still flowing down his face. Slowly he raised his tear-streaked face and looked up at Lee and Rei, who were both smiling at him with the love and acceptance that only a true friend could provide. Choking off a sob of happiness, Kai rushed into their arms, clutching them both in a backbreaking hug that they returned with equal intensity. They stayed like that for a few moments, supporting and comforting Kai as he finally cried for the first time in his life, for the first time he truly cried. Not tears of grief or pain, but the best kind of tears, the tears of joy.

As they gradually came out of their own little world, they began to hear cheers coming from all around them. Then, as if waking from a dream, they were suddenly hearing thousands of voices cheering, shouting out encouragement. They broke from the hug to gaze up around the stadium in wonder as the entire audience gave them a standing ovation, clapping and cheering, lending their own support. Seeing that nearly made Kai break into tears once again, but he was able to hold them in this time. There would be a time for more tears later, but right now all he needed was his friends, the support they could offer him would carry him through the toughest of trials, and ensure that he came through unscathed.

Kai turned, dropping his arms around Rei and Lee's shoulders, and walked over towards the arena side wall were he was greeted by Tyson, the leader of his old team The BladeBreakers. Cautiously, Kai approached the brash leader, wary of how he might react to Kai's defection.

"Tyson, I- I'd like to- rejoin the BladeBreakers, if that's alright with you." He asked nervously, another first for Kai. He watched as Tyson brought his hand up beneath his chin and closed his eyes, as if considering the proposal. Kai's hands began to tremble again involuntarily as the new emotion he knew as fear reached it's way into his heart again. Would they accept him? How could they after what he had done, he had turned into a monster, he had destroyed without emotion, how could they possibly stand to even be around him.

"Oh come on Tyson, you now your gonna let him back on the team! Stop messing with his mind!" Max shouted at their leader, smacking him upside the head. Tyson glared at Max before turning his gaze over to the exceedingly nervous Kai, that was something he would have to get used to.

"Well," Tyson considered, "We _could_ always use another Blader, but I don't know. I mean, the last Kai we had on our team quit on us just because he found a new source of power, what's to say this one won't do the same?" Tyson asked no one in particular, as everyone watched him, waiting with baited breath for his decision. "You'll have to work extra hard if you want to be on this team, no slacking off, got it?" Tyson glared slightly at the now visibly shaking Kai. "And another thing, you're going to have to work on that little attitude problem of yours."

Tyson could tell he was definitely getting to the boy, Kai was about ready to bolt, his whole body was quaking with barely restrained terror. He'd have to wrap this up or else they really _would_ lose Kai. "But, fortunately for you," Tyson smiled gently "You happen to be one of the best friends I've ever had Kai, and I would be honored if you would rejoin our team." He held out his hand, offering it, the team, and his friendship to Kai, hoping he would accept them all.

Kai's face broke into the biggest grin Tyson had ever seen in his life as he grasped Tyson's hand in a firm grip, their friendship now sealed beyond a shadow of a doubt. Unable to restrain himself, Kai surged forward and grasped Tyson in another backbreaking hug, one Tyson tried desperately to squirm out of.

"Thank you Tyson, I know I don't deserve this chance after all that I've done, but I swear you won't regret it. I will train hard, and battle even harder. For the team, for my friends, and for myself." Kai gripped Tyson tighter as he pledged his allegiance to the BladeBreakers.

"That's all really great and wonderful Kai, but could you _please_ stop crushing me!" Tyson cried. The rest of the team laughed as Kai lept away from Tyson, saying he was sorry about a million times and begging for Tyson's forgiveness.

"Hey it's okay Kai, really! Just, next time you want to hug me, please don't try and crush my ribs!" Tyson asked imploringly as Kai began to laugh along with the rest of their team, no one noticing as Lee moved off to go with his team back to the waiting room. No one that is except Rei.

"Hey Lee! Wait up!" Rei called as he ran after the leader of the White Tigers. Lee stopped and turned, motioning for the rest of the team to continue on without him. Rei walked up to Lee, smiling.

"I just wanted to thank you, for helping me get through to Kai. I wanted to do something, but I just didn't know what to do. Good thing you were there to get the ball rolling." Rei said with a bit of an embarrassed look on his face, as Lee just smirked and shrugged his shoulders.

"The guy had destroyed two of my teammates Blades and stolen their Bit Beasts, what was I supposed to do? Go in there and try to match him Blade for Blade? I knew I wouldn't be able to get through to him that way, so I tried the other one." Again Lee shrugged his shoulders. "Good thing you were there with Dranzer though or I don't think I ever could have gotten through to him." Lee smiled and held out his hand, which Rei accepted gladly, happy to be able to settle old grudges with new friendships.

"See ya around Rei, and try to stay out of trouble will ya?" Lee asked as he turned and followed his team. Rei just chuckled from behind him.

"I always do Lee, I always do." And with that he began to walk back towards the rest of the BladeBreakers, who were currently holding an enraged Kai back from killing Boris, the owner of the team Kai had just left, and the one who had first poisoned him with the Black Dranzer. He smiled as he saw how quickly Kai calmed when confronted with the soothing words of his friends, nothing like the Kai of old, who would have sooner eaten his own scarf than listen to anything Tyson had to say.

Yes, it had definitely been an interesting day, the Beyblade competition had been postponed until tomorrow to give the teams time to repair their blades and sort out which team they were on. And the BladeBreakers were finally back together again, everything was perfect, but it was not to last.

"Tyson, get away from my candy bar I bought it with my own money, go by your own!" Kai yelled at their ever-hungry leader.

"Aw come on Kai, just a second ago you would have done anything just to be called my friend, and now you wont even share one piece of your candy bar? What kind of friend are you?"

"A smart one, now go buy your own! I said go by your own! Hey! Gimme back my candy bar Tyson!! I swear I'll get you!!" Kai yelled as he began to chase Tyson all around the arena while the ret of the BladeBreakers sat back and laughed.

Rei chuckled to himself. Yes, everything was getting back to normal. And Rei wouldn't have it any other way.

**************************************

End Note: Well I hope you all liked that fic, I think it is actually one of the best things I have ever written, which is odd considering that I've only been watching Beyblade for about a week and this story took me only about an hour to write. But I had this idea kicking around in my head for too long and decided to write it down, then it just grew and grew and grew. I might do a rewrite of this one in the future and put in some Kai/Rei romance, but that's a maybe. Well, thanks for reading, and I hope you check out some of my other stuff, it's all in the Digimon section. Or you could just click on the link to my section, either way please come check it out. Oh and close-minded people need not apply, Read and Review! ^_^


End file.
